Music Speaks, round 2!
by the amazing finn
Summary: I had so much fun with the song challenge that I decided to give it another go! 10 more songs, 10 more stories, lots more fluff and drama! AND an online playlist, so you can actually listen to all of the songs I used!


**You can listen to full versions of all the songs I used (except #8) here! So cool! **(a few of them aren't the exact version or artist I used, but they're still the same songs)

**playlist (dot) com/node/38794181**

_"When words fail, music speaks." Hans Christian Andersen_

I had so much fun with the song challenge—and I'm so obsessed with music—that I decided to post a Round 2! I've loved reading everyone's little mini stories so much, and I hope more people decide to take up the challenge!!

Not sure how these hold up to the first batch, but I'm quite fond of a few of them. I have plenty of opinions about them, but I'd rather you read and decide for yourself first! And don't forget, **e****veryone should give this challenge a try**!

**Rules**: If you get tagged, you have to write a short fic about ten random songs. Put your respective music player on shuffle, and write a story to whatever song comes up. Sounds easy? It should. Except you also have to write the story in the span of the song you are writing about.

love,

Finn!!

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**1. Breathe In - Frou Frou**

After everything—all the fights and near misses and relentless tormenting—somehow she'd still made it here. She couldn't believe it.

And she couldn't breathe.

Suddenly the prospect of getting everything she'd ever wanted was a bit too much to bear. Her dress suddenly felt about three sizes too small, her breath was coming in shorter and shorter gasps and she could feel the color rapidly rising to her face.

From across the room her maid of honor glanced up from the bouquet she'd been adjusting and practically flew across the room when she saw her friend's face.

"I . . . I can't do this"

Phoebe knew Helga better than anyone, and she knew that right now she was about thirty seconds away from breaking out in hives and having a full blown panic attack.

"Look."

Phoebe pointed at the mirror, where Helga saw their reflections—her own panic-sticken face surrounded by a billowy cloud of white tulle, and Phoebe's calm porcelain visage, smiling back at her.

"You are beautiful. You are getting _married._"

Helga's breath started to slow.

"AND you have me right here with you in case you decide to bolt at the last second and you need someone to clear the path to your getaway limo"

For the first time in hours, Helga cracked a smile, and let out a deep breath. She regarded herself in the mirror.

"I'm getting married."

**2. The Sleeping Beauty, Suite, Op.66aL Panorama - Vienna Philharmonic**

How did it always come to this? Sure, she got to kiss him in the end, but she always had to dupe him into it—and after all that hard work they were never even REAL kisses.

Juliet, Maria, and now the Sleeping Beauty (she'd silenced the few snickers about _that_ title with ol' betsy in the first week of rehearsals). Still, she supposed she'd take what she could get.

Eyes closed, she felt the hot stage lights glaring down on her, felt him draw near.

"Here we are again," he whispered right next to her ear, so only she could hear. And then he kissed her. And she awoke.

**3. Against All Odds - The Postal Service **

"Wait . . ."

She said it, knowing he would expect her to say something else and that she had nothing else to say. He looked down at his feet and shifted uncomfortably.

"I have to go."

He just stared at her. His eyes begged her for some reason to stay, some reason to walk back through the door and figure out how to fix it all. But she couldn't bear the thought of hurting him again--not after everything he'd done for her. He deserved better. He almost smiled. She looked away.

She heard a sniff, followed by footsteps. More than anything, she wanted to call out to him, but Gerald was already gone and this time, she knew he wasn't coming back.

**4. Vincent - Fred Benedetti & Peter Pupping **

It was moments like this that no one else saw. Sure, the modest bouquet and simple card left on the counter didn't look like much, but to her, they meant the world.  
The first time they'd danced she had a pink carnation tucked into her hair. She'd never even liked carnations, but for some reason on that night she wore one, and ever since it had been her favorite flower.

She remembered it all like it was yesterday. It was just a simple gesture. When the bloom tumbled down in the middle of their dance, he bent down, brushed it off and tucked lightly back in place. It was just a simple gesture, but something about this gruff man showing her his softer side made her melt. Sure, he had his issues—so did she—but when it really counted, they would always have pink carnations.

**5. Now - The Gabe Dixon Band**

Arnold felt like he was going crazy—it was quite possible that he was, he thought.

It was the strangest thing. All along, he'd been somewhat indifferent to her presence. Well, not necessarily indifferent, but he certainly hadn't felt like _this_. He thought back on the days, weeks, months . . . years—trying to figure out how this had crept up on him, but at the end of the day there was just no explaining it.

Yesterday things were fine. Normal. Perfectly normal. And then today—well, he wasn't one for clichés, but he suddenly understood that whole "ton of bricks thing" better than he ever thought possible.

One second he was walking through the park, enjoying the sunshine, just minding his own business. And the next moment, there she was, stretched out on a flannel blanket, hair tumbled across her shoulders. She was lying on her stomach, chewing on a pen cap and scribbling something into a little notebook with almost frightening intensity. He stood there for a minute before he realized he'd even stopped. She looked up at him, just like always, with her trademark scowl. And yet today—it made no sense at all—but today he suddenly knew that he was head over heels in love with Helga G. Pataki.

**6. I'll be home for Christmas - Percy Faith and His Orchestra**

Helga looked around the apartment. Two and a half years later, and sometimes she was still in awe of everything her life had become.

A bright and fragrant tree sitting happily in the corner with a stack of presents underneath it, a fire crackling away in the corner, the lived-on furniture that was a little worse for the wear but was just right for movie night. She was never one for sentiment, but these days, Helga figured she had a lot to be thankful for. Things weren't perfect, of course—he worked too much, she was still a wee bit "temperamental" from time to time, and most of all she wanted to strangle all of the people who'd assured her that her morning sickness would subside after the first three months. But it was Christmas Eve and he was on his way back from Chicago and she wouldn't trade that for all the perfect in the world.

The call came at 2am. Still stuck. Snowed in, work crazy, no planes leaving.

"I am so, _so_ sorry. I wish there was something I could do," he stammered, realizing what he was telling her. "Maybe I can see if there's another flight or—"

She could hear the disappointment in his voice—and the panic.

"Hey," she said simply.

"What?" He paused, waiting without knowing what to expect.

"I love you."

She couldn't see the smile the spread across his face, but somehow she knew it had been exactly the right thing to say.

**7. What Goes Around ... Comes Around - Justin Timberlake**

It was wrong. Sooooo wrong. But for something so awful it sure felt amazing.

The worst part was, she didn't even feel guilty. In fact, she felt he was still rightfully hers in some twisted way. And, lying there with him, she figured she was sort of right. He hadn't even bothered to take off his wedding band. She didn't know who the girl was and she didn't really care—but somehow she got some sort of kick out of knowing that even after he'd gone and tied the knot with someone else—probably some prim, proper, perfect little thing—he was still coming back to her. And in a way, didn't that mean she'd really won?

It'd been so long since they'd all seen one another. People grow apart, and sometimes they find each other again in the most unexpected ways. With Arnold it'd been at the coffee shop on the corner. With Phoebe, it was when the smaller woman came home from a business trip regrettably earlier than expected.

**8. The Paper Chase (from the Ratatouille score) - Michael Giacchino**

"AAiiiiiieeeee!!"

Helga buried her face in Arnold's shoulder for about the thirtieth time that night, and they were only halfway through the movie.

"Helga! It's fine!"

"WHY would you take me to see a movie about RATS Arnold?"

**9. You've Got a Friend in Me (duet version) - Randy Newman & Lyle Lovett**

"And I need you to pick up my komodo dragon from the vet--and _don't_ forget to give him his anti-fungal bath!"

"Right." Phoebe scribbled another note on the growing list.

"Oh, and did you finish that report on the Great Wall of China?"

Phoebe sighed and pulled out the paper.

"Yes, but—"

Helga snatched it away. "Thanks a million Pheebs."

"_Hey four eyes!_"

Some passing sixth grader had apparently decided that the small girl would be an easy target. Ten minutes later, Helga was in detention—again—and the sixth grader was on his way to the dentist.

**10. She Will Be Loved - Maroon 5 **

There she was again. He could only imagine what it would be this time.

He opened the window and she climbed in off of the fire escape. She was soaked from head to toe, her blonde hair plastered to her face, and yet she still somehow managed to look more beautiful than ever.

"What's a girl gotta do to get a towel around here?" She was joking around like always, but he could hear in her voice that something had gone wrong with "_him_" again. Something always went wrong with "_him_."

He came up behind her and draped a big fluffy white towel over her. He left his arms around her and rested his head on her shoulder. He would've given anything to tell her how he felt, but she was hopelessly in love with the same idiot she'd loved ever since he could remember.

He didn't have to look at her face to know she was crying.

"Helga, he's a moron," he whispered.

She turned around to face him, his arms still around her. "I don't know what I'd do without you Arnold."

She leaned against his chest, and he wondered if she could hear his heart breaking for the third time this week.

"You're such a good friend."

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Well, what did you think? Are these as entertaining as the first round? :) I wrote some notes below if you're interested to know my thought process behind some of these . . .

1. Breathe In . . . well, for all of her bullying and tough-girl front, Helga is a little bit of a drama queen. I can totally see her potentially breaking out in hives on her wedding day.

2. The Sleeping Beauty . . . this is funny to me because I can just see Helga doing this—scheming her way into all these plays to kiss Arnold, and then having this little inner conflict about it as she's lying there.

3. Against All Odds . . . I ran out of time to really clarify the relationship or show who both characters were, but I think that's okay . . .

4. Vincent . . . this was interesting to me because it's about two characers that aren't written about as much--and when they are it's usually pretty negative. I just wanted to try to lighten things up a bit.

5. Now . . . can't you just imagine it happening this way? One day the curtain just lifts and Arnold has an "Oh my gosh—I_ love _her . . . when did _this_ happen?" moment. By the way, the Gabe Dixon Band is awesome.

6. I'll Be Home For Christmas . . . I know this is like marshmallows dipped in maple syrup, but I couldn't help myself. I need to overdose on fluff every once in a while.

7. What Goes Around ... Comes Around . . . you can just envision any terrible little circle of betrayal that makes you happy :)

8. The Paper Chase (from Ratatouille) . . . This might actually be my favorite, if only for the fact that it was a fun moment for me when a song from the Ratatouille score popped up and I went from thinking _what the heck am I going to write for this_ to my "AHA!" moment of imagining tough girl Helga freaking out in a Disney movie about rats . . . I can just imagine this whole little scenario in my mind and it makes me laugh.

9. You've Got A Friend In Me . . . this is just classic Helga & Phoebe, set to one of my absolute favorite songs ever.

10. She Will Be Loved . . . Yes, I know—you're probably wondering what the heck was going on in that last one. I just liked the idea of turning the tables on ol' football head for once :) It's not that Helga has been in love with someone else besides Arnold for her whole life—it's that he was too dense to pick up on how she felt about him and by the timehe _finally_ noticed her, she'd moved on . . . at least, that's what he thinks. Guess we'll never know for sure ;)


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